Brandwave

Electric car brands:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, Volkswagen was the most searched among electric car brands worldwide, with an estimated 9.1M branded searches and 23.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Volkswagen23.2%
  2. Tesla19%
  3. BYD15.6%
  4. Hyundai15.6%
  5. Kia12.7%
  6. Nissan8.5%
  7. Rivian2.5%
  8. Polestar2.1%
  9. Lucid Motors0.74%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the electric car brands households and businesses choose. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for Volkswagen, Tesla, BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Rivian, Polestar. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthVolkswagenTeslaBYDHyundaiKiaNissanRivianPolestarLucid Motors
Oct 202521.3%21.3%14.3%17.4%11.6%9.5%1.9%1.9%0.72%
Nov 202523.1%18.9%15.5%18.9%10.3%8.5%2.1%2.1%0.65%
Dec 202524.7%20.2%13.5%16.5%11.1%9.1%2.2%1.8%0.84%
Jan 202621.3%17.4%17.4%17.4%11.7%9.5%1.9%2.3%0.91%
Feb 202623.1%18.9%15.5%15.5%12.7%8.5%2.5%2.5%0.79%
Mar 202621.4%17.5%17.5%17.5%11.7%9.6%2.3%1.9%0.73%
Apr 202621.5%21.5%17.6%14.4%11.8%7.9%2.4%2.4%0.73%
May 202622.4%18.3%18.3%15%12.2%8.2%2.4%2.4%0.76%
Jun 202620.3%20.3%16.6%16.6%11.1%9.1%2.7%2.7%0.74%
Jul 202623.7%19.4%15.9%15.9%10.6%8.7%2.6%2.6%0.78%
Aug 202623.2%19%15.6%15.6%12.7%8.5%2.5%2.1%0.74%
Sep 2026—————————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Volkswagen

    23.2%

    Held 1st. 9.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  2. 2.Tesla

    19%

    Held 2nd. 7.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  3. 3.BYD

    15.6%

    Held 3rd. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  4. 4.Hyundai

    15.6%

    Held 4th. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  5. 5.Kia

    12.7%

    Held 5th. 5M estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +2.1 points.

  6. 6.Nissan

    8.5%

    Held 6th. 3.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  7. 7.Rivian

    2.5%

    Moved from 8th to 7th. 1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Polestar

    2.1%

    Moved from 7th to 8th. 823K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  9. 9.Lucid Motors

    0.74%

    Held 9th. 292K estimated branded searches, -2.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among electric car brands worldwide?

In August 2026, Volkswagen was the most searched among electric car brands worldwide, with an estimated 9.1M branded searches and 23.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. Tesla is in 2nd place, 4.2 percentage points behind at 19% Share of Search.

Global electric car brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Volkswagen21.3% → 23.2%24.7%Dec 202520.3%Jun 20262nd → 1st
Tesla21.3% → 19%21.5%Apr 202617.4%Jan 20261st → 2nd
BYD14.3% → 15.6%18.3%May 202613.5%Dec 20254th → 3rd
Hyundai17.4% → 15.6%18.9%Nov 202514.4%Apr 20263rd → 4th
Kia11.6% → 12.7%12.7%Aug 202610.3%Nov 20255th
Nissan9.5% → 8.5%9.6%Mar 20267.9%Apr 20266th
Rivian1.9% → 2.5%2.7%Jun 20261.9%Oct 20258th → 7th
Polestar1.9% → 2.1%2.7%Jun 20261.8%Dec 20257th → 8th
Lucid Motors0.72% → 0.74%0.91%Jan 20260.65%Nov 20259th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Volkswagen’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide increased from 21.3% to 23.2%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Tesla’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide decreased from 21.3% to 19%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, BYD’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide increased from 14.3% to 15.6%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hyundai’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide decreased from 17.4% to 15.6%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Kia’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide increased from 11.6% to 12.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Nissan’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide decreased from 9.5% to 8.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Rivian’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide increased from 1.9% to 2.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Volkswagen’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide peaked at 24.7% in December 2025 and was lowest at 20.3% in June 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Tesla’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide peaked at 21.5% in April 2026 and was lowest at 17.4% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, BYD’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide peaked at 18.3% in May 2026 and was lowest at 13.5% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hyundai’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide peaked at 18.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 14.4% in April 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Kia’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide peaked at 12.7% in August 2026 and was lowest at 10.3% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Nissan’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide peaked at 9.6% in March 2026 and was lowest at 7.9% in April 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Volkswagen rose from 2nd to 1st among electric car brands worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Tesla fell from 1st to 2nd among electric car brands worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, BYD rose from 4th to 3rd among electric car brands worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hyundai fell from 3rd to 4th among electric car brands worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Rivian rose from 8th to 7th among electric car brands worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Polestar fell from 7th to 8th among electric car brands worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lucid Motors held steady: its estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for electric car brands worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Kia gained estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide, from 10.6% to 12.7%.

  2. BYD’s estimated Share of Search among electric car brands worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 18.3% to 15.6% in August 2026.

  3. In August 2026, Rivian rose from 8th to 7th among electric car brands worldwide.

  4. In August 2026, Polestar fell from 7th to 8th among electric car brands worldwide.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Hyundai worldwide fell 18.2% over 11 measured months, from 7.5M to 6.1M in August 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Tesla worldwide fell 18.2% over 11 measured months, from 9.1M to 7.5M in August 2026.

  7. Estimated monthly branded searches for Nissan worldwide fell 18.1% over 11 measured months, from 4.1M to 3.4M in August 2026.

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